Wealth transfer in the United States, the country described as 'mean' by Michelle Obama, goes as follows in 2010: 110 Million non-farm, non-gov't workers 22 million gov't workers 57.96 million people on either SSI or SSID 60-100 million on medicaid depending on how the new law shakes out Of the 110 million private sector non farmers, those in lower quintile have an effective tax rate of 0% due to gov't kickbacks like EIC. Bottom line -even excluding all the extra crap lately like bailouts, subsdies, etc.- is that the number of people who pay taxes to support the government is now exceeded by the number of people who suck off the gov't. The class war was started by liberals has been won by the hoards they bought off. I believe the tipping point towards the death spiral is now officially past, with the new gov't debt and new entitlements. The left's 3 destructive pillars: Socialism Globalism Multiculturalism